We are opening a tap room in the Gorbals in the Southside of Glasgow that will be fully accessible for people with disabilities. We will be working with organisations such as the Shaw Trust to provide much needed jobs for people with disabilities who are otherwise struggling to find work. The project is being run by the Glasgow Brewery Collective, a group of brewers from across Scotland working together to improve accessibility and social inclusion in public spaces.

We can’t do it without your help. Back us now and help us improve lives.

The pub is a UK institution. Our drinking establishments are an integral part of British society. For many of us they sit at the centre of our communities, providing a space to socialise, relax and unwind. However many people with disabilities, because of a lack of facilities or awareness, find they are excluded from this side of life.

Pubs and public spaces are all too often too dark for people with vision impairments, too noisy for the hard of hearing and often simply too overwhelming for people with autism. People without disabilities may not notice or be aware of them, but these issues and more are faced every day by the disabled community. This leads to a marked lack of social inclusion. A recent report from the government-backed Equality and Human Rights Commission has stated that, “more and more disabled people are finding it difficult to live independently and be included, and participate, in their communities on an equal basis.”

We will also create jobs for people with disabilities. Statistics show that disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people. This 'disability employment gap', has remained at around 30 percentage points for over a decade.

There are many barriers that prevent disabled people from finding work and progressing in employment. These include negative attitudes from employers and recruitment agencies, inaccessible workplaces and inflexible working practices. With your support, we can help do something about it. While we hope to expand in the future, we can provide as many as six supported positions both in the brewery and taproom in 2019 alone.

We’re opening a taproom the Gorbals in the Southside of Glasgow. We are consulting with charities, community groups and individuals to ensure that we have all the amenities and facilities we need to make the space as accessible as possible for people with disabilities. These will include, but aren’t limited to, fitting and maintaining a t-loop, a lowered frontless section of the bar for wheel chair access, wheelchair accessible tables, autism hours with quieter music and the bare minimum of brewery noise, large print and easy read menus, and staff trained in BSL This consultation will be ongoing throughout the crowdfunding campaign and on into the running of the taproom.

We will have a special focus on providing jobs for people with disabilities, both in the taproom and in the on-site brewery. To do this we’ll be working with the Shaw Trust, and have been approached by Glasgow City Councils Supported Employment Service. These are organisations dedicated to helping people with disabilities find work and to supporting them in their work.

The taproom will also be a haven for craft beer. There will be 20 taps dedicated to pouring beer from our favourite Glasgow breweries and breweries from around the world. There will also be local gins, whisky and soda. As well as our regular opening hours, will provide a bookable space available to Community Groups and NGOs for events and to help promote social inclusion.

Glasgow Brewery Collective is made up of a group of brewers from Scotland working together to improve accessibility and social inclusion and to help provide much-needed jobs for people with disabilities. We’ve a wonderful mix of experience in brewing, in pubs and food service. We know the industry, and now we want to give something back.

Ride Brew Co, a social enterprise founded by Dave Lannigan, who is disabled through loss of hearing and suffers from ADHD and Dyslexia. “My disabilities have given me personal experience of being excluded and the struggles that people with disabilities face when trying to find work,” he says. “I’m keen to do something to help people in a similar situation to me find meaningful employment.” In 2018 Ride Brew Co’s IPA ‘I Drink Your Milkshake’ won gold at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards Scotland Region for premium strong beers. Ride Brew co-sponsor two rooms at Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity.

Late Night Hype Brewing Company, founded by Mike Shaw and Sam Turner. Mike Shaw previously worked as an Additional Support Needs Learning Assistant at Craigmarloch School in Port Glasgow before starting the brewery. He says that, “despite the incredibly hard work by the young people and support staff at the school, once graduated, the young people might struggle in an increasingly tough jobs market. When setting up Late Night Hype, I vowed to myself to create appropriate jobs with good support and development opportunities for people with additional support needs.” Late Night Hype were founded in 2017 and are fast gaining a reputation for their bottle-conditioned beers as well as their barrel ageing programme.

Bute Brew Co. Head brewer Simon Tardivel will be temporarily moving production off the Isle of Bute to Glasgow to allow for an improved premises to be built on the island. “While it’s not ideal that Bute Brew Co beer will be produced off the island in 2019, it is serendipitous in that it allows us to work as part of the Glasgow Brewery Collective to get this amazing project off the ground.” Bute Brew Co has a special focus on Environmental Sustainability. In 2018 they were finalists in the Scotsman Food and Drink Awards in the ‘Best Eco Friendly’ category and in the Scottish Beer Awards for innovation with their Thorough Bread Beer and focus on the Circular Economy.

We already have three successful businesses, a viable plan, and a lot of interest in what we want to do. There is a genuine need in the community, but it will take a long time for us to sell enough beer to raise the funds to finance the project ourselves. That’s where you come in. With your help we can get the Glasgow Brewery Collective up and running by Easter 2019!*

Pledge now and help us make a difference!

When we are fully funded, everyone who pledges will get an invite to a party next year to thank you for your support. Pledge now and help us make a difference.

*This date is dependent on Glasgow City Council granting us a premises licence. Currently this process is likely to take around six months. We’re very fortunate in that the best licensing lawyer in Scotland has agreed to help us. We’re aiming for Easter, but it might take a bit longer if this process is delayed.

£200 Reward

£500 or more

£500 Reward

Nano brew day: you and three friends can come and brew with us on our 1bbl kit. We’ll sell your beer in the taproom and you’ll get a case of beer each to take home. Plus you get to name the beer! (Terms and conditions apply, names must not go against Portman Group Guidelines, must be politically correct and must not infringe on someone else’s intellectual property. Glasgow Brewery Collective’s judgement is final. If in doubt, get in touch.

£1,000 or more

£1000 Reward

Micro brew day: you and three friends can come and brew with us on our 6bbl kit. We’ll release it in bottle with a label designed by a local Glasgow artist. and you each get a case to take home. Plus, beer naming rights! (Terms and conditions apply, names must not go against Portman Group Guidelines, must be politically correct and must not infringe on someone else’s intellectual property. Glasgow Brewery Collective’s judgement is final.